Experts Weigh In: Will Drinking Diet Coke Kill You?

Many have their opinions about diet soda, but how many of them are founded in truth? Let's take a look.

I'm going to preface this entire article by saying, I love Diet Coke. In fact, I'm drinking one right now. Do I drink it every day? No. In reality, I probably only have two to three cans a week. The zero-calorie beverage offers a great alternative to Coca-Cola Classic, which packs a whopping 150 calories per 12-ounce can. However, many don't like the fact that the "diet" version contains artificial sweeteners, specifically aspartame. That said, others have found that consuming the beverage makes cutting back on sugar and carbs much easier.

Can Diet Coke Help with Weight Loss?

In 2021, I lost 50 pounds by changing my diet and spending a little more time being active. During that time, I still drank Diet Coke and didn't notice any issues. While it certainly didn't directly contribute to any actual weight loss, it did help me curb my sweet tooth, which led to me consuming less refined sugars. In fact, one of my favorite weight-loss gurus on TikTok, Chris Terrell, recently made a video about Diet Coke and sugars, claiming the problem isn't with the products themselves, but rather overindulgence. See below.

@og_chris_terrellDiet Coke is fine. You can believe me or don’t believe me. It’s up to you. Sugar is fine. It’s the overindulging and sugar that’s the problem. Too many people don’t want to give up overindulging. Let go of your favorite rock and then you can get in the boat.♬ original sound - Chris Terrell

Does Diet Coke Cause Cancer?

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty: aspartame. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), aspartame has been approved for use in food as a sweetener since 1974. In July 2023, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) concluded that the artificial sweetener is “possibly carcinogenic to humans." The FDA has since disputed these findings, noting that there were "significant shortcomings" in the studies conducted. The FDA also added that IARC's claim doesn't mean that aspartame is actually linked to cancer.

The website Healthline holds that the evidence suggesting aspartame causes cancer is weak. The website noted that a small number of studies have proposed a potential risk of cancer with aspartame consumption, namely one published in 2016 linking the sugar alternative to liver cancer. However, research published in 2023 found no association between artificial sweetener consumption and cancer. Overall, Healthline concluded the following:

Current research does not suggest that drinking Diet Coke or other beverages with aspartame will increase the risk of cancer.

How Much Diet Coke is too Much?

“Everything in moderation" is a line you've likely heard before, but it's true for many things, including Diet Coke. One can of the diet soda contains only a tiny amount of the sweetener, which is way below the acceptable daily intake. According to Healthline, the FDA has set an acceptable daily intake of 50 milligrams (mg) per kilogram (kg) (2.2 lb) of body weight. Thus, an adult weighing 70 kg (154.3 lb) would have to drink more than nine to 14 cans of diet soda daily to exceed the recommended amount of aspartame.

Whether or not you choose to drink diet soda is entirely up to you, and you'll get no judgement from me either way. If you're concerned about the risks, there is no shame in steering clear of the beverage. Personally, I'm not too worried, but I do believe more research is warranted to better understand the artificial sweetener.